"Bryce Harper, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2010 MLB Draft, has signed a deal with the Washington Nationals, the team announced.

"Harper and the Nationals had to reach an agreement by Major League Baseball's midnight ET deadline on Monday or he would have gone back into next year's draft pool. The parties beat the deadline by minutes.

"Multiple outlets, including both MASNSports.com and SI.com reported that the value of the deal is close to $10 million. Subsequent reports pegged the value of the deal, a five-year major league pact, at $9.9 million. "

Lurita explains: The acquisition of Bryce Harper, a future "big gun" and #1 draft pick provides a valuable lesson to the Obama Administration — change — meaningful change for the better - takes time, patience and a willingness to put off short term gratification. For a team that is four years old, and that has, previously, had three disastrous seasons, the future is shaping up brightly. Why?
1. The Nationals leadership team took a long-term approach to transforming their team by investing extensively in new talent that has to spend time on the farm team being trained, tested and indoctrinated in winning strategies (Strasburg, Desmond) rather than wasting time and money on "stars" and showboating with form over substance.
2. Nationals leadership teamare investing heavily in OJT and mentoring to quickly bring new players up to speed.
3. Nationals dleadership teamo not expect to see an immediate return on their investment but plan to reap long-term rewards.
4. Nationals leadership team are not succumbing to public pressure to announce new programs or strategy changes to create a perception of a ‘winning culture'".

"After watching Apple rack up its 3 millionth iPad sale in June, only 80 days after the tablet computer's U.S. debut, it's hard not to wonder if we're witnessing the final nail in the coffin for the desktop PC's 30-year run as our main man for Digital Age participation.

"No one is suggesting that people will put their old desktop PCs in permanent storage and replace them with shiny new iPads anytime soon. It's hard to imagine any new device, no matter how slick and compelling, triggering that kind of a zero-sum swap-out, especially given the ubiquity and workhorse utility of desktop computers."

"The debate over whether federal employees are paid significantly higher than their private sector counterparts has made headlines recently. Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry issued a statement late Monday contending that such stories are 'unfair and untrue,' noting that they make comparisons based on gross averages, including retail and restaurant service workers and other entry-level positions that reduce private sector pay in comparison to the federal average.

"Federal Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra and Cass R. Sunstein, administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, last week announced the recipients of The Leading Practices Awards, recognizing agencies that achieved above and beyond the requirements of the Open Government Directive in promoting transparency in the best and most innovative way.

"Awards were determined on the basis of evaluation of the plans against the definition of 'Leading Practice' by the agencies themselves. Chopra and Cass defined 'Leading Practices' as a way to inspire a 'race to the top' among government agencies for increased openness and innovation.

"There are four categories of awards corresponding to each of the major goals of the Open Government agenda: Leadership, Governance and Culture Change; Transparency; Participation and Collaboration; and Flagship Initiative."

"It's been a long time since former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) got the chance to come out swinging in public.

"But that's exactly what the feisty former GOP leader did Monday when the Justice Department told his attorneys it closed its inquiry of DeLay after a six year probe.

"DeLay was his vintage self during a telephone conference call with reporters.

"The FBI began to probe DeLay for his links for former superlobbyist Jack Abramoff. Abramoff did jail time after pleading guilty to fraud and for trying to bribe lawmakers. Former Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) went to jail for his relationship with Abramoff."